Tire guard



Sept. 10, 1940. s. KAURA 2,214,023

TIRE GUARD Filed Dec. '30, 1938 gwue/wfom Jfa/w Ka /'4 Patented Sept. 10, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT, OFFICE 1 Claim.

The invention relates to tire guards particularly adaptable to wheels of vehicles equipped with pneumatic tires.

It is well known that upon deflation of a tire either as a result of a puncture or upon loss of air due to any other cause, that runningon the flat tire even for a short distance will result in damage to the tire, whereupon it has become the universal practice to stop the vehicle whenever a flat tire occurs so as to either change the tire or repair the same. This always results in delay and inconvenience, and in many instances neither change nor repairs can be made at the place where the flat tire occurred as on a busy street or on a highway remote from a service station there being in the latter instance neither a spare or tools to effect the change or repair.

Accordingly, it is the principal object of this invention to provide a tire guard for each wheel 00 of the vehicle arranged on one side of the pneumatic tire, the tire guard being rigidly secured to the tire rim of the wheel and being formed to provide a ground engaging portion adapted to engage the ground and to support the wheel in an operative position when the tire is deflated, functioning thereby to prevent the flat tire from being damaged as by getting pinched between ground (surface of pavement or road) and tire rim on wheel and also to permit the use of the wheel whereby the vehicle may be driven for any desired distance to a suitable place where change or repair of the tire may be effected.

This and other objects of the invention will be readily apparent from the following description of the invention considered with the accompanying drawing, wherein:-

Figure 1 shows an elevational view of a wheel equipped with a pneumatic tire and a tire guard, and

Figure 2 shows an end elevational view partly in section of the wheel shown in Figure 1, showing details of "construction of the tire guard and the manner of mounting the same on the tire rim of the wheel.

Referring to the drawing in detail, I0 denotes a wheel of an automobile or other pneumatic tired vehicle provided with a metallic tire rim H having side flanges I2 adapted to retain the beads I3 of a pneumatic tire I I. The type of rim utilized and the manner of placing the tire thereon' forms no part of the present invention, that shown in the figures being merely by way of illustrating a wheel with a rim thereon and a tire mounted on the rim.

Carried by the wheel I0 is a tire guard I5 shown mounted in a manner to be hereinafter described to one side of the wheel III, In the preferred form shown, a single tire guard I5 is utilized for the wheel III and is mounted on the outer side 5 thereof. The tire guard I5 is preferably made of pressed metal parts welded together to form an integral unit, one part comprising a rim e gaging portion I6 having a main wall portion I1,

and the other part comprising a ground engaging portion I8 and a reinforcing portion I9.

The main wall portion ll of the tire guard I6 is convexly curved in a direction outwardly of the tire I4 terminating in a circular edge IIa which is adapted to abut the inside circular edge 15 surface of the annular ground engaging portion I8, in the manner clearly shown in Figure 2, both the rim wall I1 and ground engaging portion I9 being permanently connected together at their abutting surfaces by welding. The ground en- 20 gaging portion I8 is provided with an integral radial flange I9 defining a reinforcing wall, the inside circular edge I9a of which abuts the inside surface of the wall I1 and is permanently connected thereto by welding, thus providing an I25 exceedingly strong and rigid wall construction for the tire guard as well as reinforcing the ground engaging portion I8.

Adjacent the rim portion IS the wall I! is provided with an annular recess 20 which is so shaped 30 as to snugly receive therein a side flange I2 of the tire rim II as clearly shown, the rim portion I8 being formed to abut on the base of the tire rim I I. Any desired securing medium either permanent or removable may be utilized to 35 rigidly connect the tire guard I5 to the tire rim II. In the form of construction shown both the rim engaging portion I6 and wall recess portion 20 are spot welded to the tire rim I I, as at 2 I.

It will be observed from Figure 2 that the curved wall I! of the tire guard flares outwardly from the tire rim II in progressively spaced relation to the tire I4 and that the ground engaging portion I8 is spaced inwardly of the tread of the tire when the same is in its normal inflated position as indicated by the space between dotted line A and the full line A. In other words, the radial distance between the rim portion I6 and ground engaging portion I8 is less than the dis- 50 tance between the tire rim II and tread of the tire I4 when the same is in its normal inflated position. Thus the tire guard l5 does not interfere with normal operation of the tire I4. Preferably the ground engaging portion I8 is pro- 55 vided with a flat cylindrical ground engaging surface 22.

In the event the tire ll becomes deflated from any cause the wheel It will settle down until the surface 22 of the ground engaging portion l8 0! the tire guard will engage the ground (pavement or road surface) as indicated by the dotted line A, the tire H being deformed into the positlon indicated by the dotted lines ll, one side thereof being engaged by the reinforcing wall portion IS. The flat or deflated tire is thus relieved of any load thereon and is prevented. from being deformed beyond the position shown by the dotted lines I 4 obviating any possibility of the tire becoming damaged. With the tire l4 thus deflated, the wheel l0 supported by the ground engaging portion I8 is enabled to function thereby allowing the vehicle to be driven to a suitable place where the tire may be changed or repaired, or the vehicle may be operated until such time as it is convenient to change or repair the tire.

As will be evident from the above description the tire guard is simple in construction and cheap to manufacture, is of great strength as well as pleasing in appearance and is efficient and satisfactory in operation. While a preferred form has been shown and described, it is to be underand an inner attaching portion-terminating in a lo cylindrical flange adapted for attachment to said wheel structure, and an annular one-piece sheet metal stamping comprising a cylindrical tread portion and a radial wall portion arranged on the concave side of said convex wall portion 15 with the peripheral edge of said wall portion connected with the cylindrical tread portion adjacent the axially outer edge thereof and with the inner peripheral edge of the radial wall portion connected with the concave surface of the convex-wall portion intermediate the ends thereof, both said connections being effected by welding, said radial wall portion functioning to reinforce the convex wall portion in sustaining the wheel load upon collapse of the tire and as an abutment for the side of said tire adjacent thereto when in said collapsed condition.

STANLEY KAURA. 

